A fire within (plays)
by Hellen says what's up
Summary: Mulan AU. Eponine disguises as a man so she can join the army in Gavroche's place. She soon develops a crush on the general. Enjolras/Eponine, Eponine/Grantaire FRIENDSHIP. (also in books)
1. Chapter 1

A fire within

Mulan AU. Eponine disguises as a man so she can join the army in Gavroche's place. She soon develops a crush on the general. Enjolras/Eponine, Eponine/Grantaire FRIENDSHIP

**I was ill when I wrote this (just a heads up)**

**As usual, this is just a trial chapter to see if anyone is actually interested in this kind of story. I think it might have been done before, but I can't find anything so I decided to write this.**

**Also, English is not my fist language, so, if there are any mistakes/grammar errors, I apologise.**

"You can't send Gavroche you utter lunatic!" Eponine scolded, yelling across the room, her eyes wide with rage. "He's thirteen for god's sake!" The room was dim, the only light being the tiny flame that bloomed from the tip of the melting candle. Eponine let out a sigh as her father lolled his head back against the concrete wall, not really giving a damn.

Thenardier grumbled and tilted his chair back to an unstable angle. "It's not a choice Eponine." He slurred, lazily. Eponine crossed her arms over her chest, leaning over the table-top to look her father dead in the eye.

"You're just too much of a coward to face the army yourself, so you're sending Gavroche in your place. You're pathetic!" Eponine spat. Her words were as cold as ice but her voice was burning like fire. Gavroche tiptoed into the room and nocked his fist against the cold wooden surface of the door. Eponine swivelled on her heals to face her brother.

"Hey, sis, it's okay. I'm fine with bein' a soldier. Might be fun." Gavroche gave a nonchalant shrug and half-smiled. Gavroche was the type of kid who knew how to look after himself. He also knew how to hide his emotions and keep to himself. "I'm not a little kid anymore Eponine. I can take care of myself, you know." Eponine frowned. Thenardier gave a mocking shrug and watched as Eponine stormed out of the room, feeling frustrated and stressed out.

…

Grantaire and Eponine sat outside the barn, resting on a messy bundle of hay that lay unattended outside Eponine's old barn-house. Eponine held herself up on her scabbed elbows, looking out at the setting sun, the sky turning a beautiful orange colour with a fade-out shade of red. Grantaire lie on his back, his hands linked at the back of his neck as he stared up at the sky. "When are you leaving?" Eponine asked.

Grantaire was joining the army, since his father died when he was two. It was stated that from every family, one male must sacrifice themselves for their country and join the army to fight against the invaders. "Leavin' tomorrow mornin'." He replied half-heartedly, kicking his mud-stained boots against the ground.

"You'll look after Gav' like you said, right?" she said, turning her head to face the man. Grantaire tilted his head back and took a deep breath. Eponine assumed that was a yes. She looked back up at the sky. The sun had almost completely disappeared. The night was about to begin…the darkest night in the history of nights. "…Gavroche should have to go…he's just going to get killed…this is ridiculous." Eponine exclaimed. Grantaire hummed, only half paying attention to what Eponine was saying. In his mind, he was already dead. "If girls were allowed to join the army, I'd take his place."

Grantaire chuckled. "Yeah right." He said over sarcastically. "A girl wouldn't last five minutes out there." Eponine narrowed her eyes and wacked Grantaire on the shoulder with the back of her hand like you would if you were trying to kill a fly.

Eponine thought for a moment. If there was some way she could become a man to take Gav's place in the army, then she would…but that's impossible…or is it? Eponine's eyes widened. "'Taire!" she exclaimed, grabbing at his arm and giving it an intense squeeze. "I just had the most insane idea! See, when I was a kid, I used to dress kind of tom-boyish and everyone thought I was a guy. What if-"

"No!" Grantaire screamed a little too loudly, cutting her off mid-sentence. He sat himself up straight. "No-no-no-no-no, you are not posing as a guy to join the fucking army! That's breaking the law Eponine!" he said, almost pulling his own hair out with his fist.

Eponine grinned. "Hey, if I don't get caught, then what's the big deal? I'm probably going to die anyway."

"Eponine…if the soldiers find out that you're a girl, they'll have your head!" Eponine shrugged at that.

"I'm probably going to die anyway…what's the big deal?" Grantaire face-palmed himself. _Bloody hell._ "Come on R, I need to do this for Gavroche…I never really fit in with the girls anyway." Eponine shot him a cheeky wink and shot up to her feet. Grantaire shook his head, disbelievingly.

"This girl is going to be the death of me."

"Come on, you need to help me with a couple of things."

…

Enjolras pushed the sturdy wooden door open with his right arm. It obediently swung open as he walked into the room. He stood in the meeting hall which was a tall wooden building, painted gold and red with a clean white marble floor. In the middle of the wide hall sat a large table about the length of three grown men lying on their backs. On the left side of the table stood Inspector Javert in his silver army suit and on the right side of the table stood General Valjean, who dressed in armour of gold and red, and his daughter who wore a pink dress made from rare silk with flowers drawn from the hip down to the ankle.

As Valjean approached him, Enjolras bowed his head in respect to his teacher. "You summoned me, Captain?" Valjean nodded and walked back over to the large table. Enjolras slowly followed behind him. He soon came to realise that the table held a blue battle plan on its surface that stretched all the way across the top.

"I trust you heard of the invasion?" Valjean questioned. Enjolras nodded his head slightly. "Well, the Inspector and I have decided on our battle scheme. You see, as we speak, young men from around the country are being gathered up to fight this invasion. Now, I am going to be leading my men down to the West so we can fight of the enemy. Whilst we're doing that, I want you, and Inspector Javert, to train the new recruits for battle."

Enjolras took a step back. "Y-you want me to train them?" Valjean nodded slightly. "Sir, I'm honoured, but, I'm just a soldier myself. I've never lead an army before."

Valjean chuckled under his breath. "My boy, if your father could do it, you can too. It's in your blood. I wouldn't have given you the position if I doubted you." Enjolras nodded slightly. "Oh, and, you also have the duty of taking my daughter to the South with you. I didn't want her to go with me to battle. I hope that's not too much of a burden." Enjolras quirked an eyebrow and glanced at the youthful young lady who was playing with a lock of her own hair.

"…It's…no burden sir." Enjolras said, lying though his teeth.

"Inspector Javert will be with you throughout. He will review your progress and report back to me." Valjean said with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Enjonine ship comes in a little later, I might mention.**

A fire within chapter 2

_The next morning_

Grantaire stood outside Eponine's house, preparing his horse (Bess) for the long journey ahead. He wore a simple brown hooded-shirt, which had several holes in it, a pair of old ripped trousers and matching scruffy walking boots. Bess was a brown Arabian horse with a coal black tail and a matching mane. She nuzzled her nose against Grantaire's shoulder as he strapped his sword onto her saddle. The sun was coming up, turning the sky from dark black to rose red.

Eponine soon came out of the house, closing the creaky wooden door with the lightest touch, so she wouldn't wake her family. She'd given herself a messy little hair-cut and wore a cap over her head for good measure. She also wore a baggy brown coat that hid her figure and her father's trousers with matching black boots. Eponine carried a single bag over her shoulder.

She came back with her own horse (Jessie), a dirty-white Lipizzan horse with a golden mane. She led her over to Grantaire who stood, staring at Eponine for a moment or two, wide-eyed and jaw hanging open. "'Ponine, you look…um…"

"What?" Eponine asked, rolling her eyes and elegantly jumping onto her horse.

"Nothing…just…my hair's longer than yours." He pointed out, pushing himself up onto his own ride. It took them both a moment to balance. "Seriously though..."

"Get over it Grantaire." Eponine mumbled.

The older man took a moment to swallow a chuckle and cleared his throat, trying to be serious for once in his life. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's not too late to back out you know." Grantaire said, pulling his horse back a little to stop her from trotting away. "If you get caught…they will kill you."

Eponine fiddled with the frayed reins on the horse for a moment and then replied simply, "We're going to battle, Grantaire. We're all going to die at some point." Grantaire stared at her for a moment, shooting her a look of worry, but said nothing more about it as they made their way to the soldier's camp.

…

"Once you have completed your training with these men, you and your troops shall be sent towards the West side to help Captain Valjean and the main troops, who shall be dealing with the front." Javert announced. Enjolras was at the other end of the tent, sitting on his temporary bed with his legs resting on the boarder of the bed and his head lolled back against the wall in a relaxed position. He wore a red and gold uniform with a silver badge pinned onto his shirt. The badge was given to him by the king himself for his service in the army. Enjolras had been in the army since he was able to light a match stick. He was a little more than a 'qualified soldier'. His father had been one of the greatest generals that had ever lived. When he was killed during battle, Enjolras was called in to take his place in the army. "We shall spend two months training in camp before we start are long journey to the West side." Javert said, pacing up and down as he spoke.

"Uh-huh." Enjolras said, looking up at the raised tent sealing, not really paying much attention to whatever the Inspector was talking about. He didn't care much for the Inspector. His loyalty lied with Valjean and of course the King…Javert was merely the man who liked to boss him around while the Captain was away.

"We shall be in the West for approximately six months, depending on the battle plans. If all goes well…Enjolras are you listening to me?" Javert asked, turning on his heals to face the young soldier who was practically half asleep.

"Uh-huh."

"Enjolras!" Javert said firmly, putting on his commanding voice. Enjolras blinked his eyes and shook his head. Javert grumbled at the boy. "Could you stop acting like a child for just one second?! You have an army to lead!"

Enjolras swung his feet off of the bed and stood up, his heavy black shoes clunking away as he walked towards Javert. "Yes, I know. MY army. MY troops. MY job. If you want me to stop acting like a child, then I suggest you stop treating me like one!" Neither Enjolras nor Javert noticed when Combeferre pocked his head through the opening of the tent. He stood there awkwardly for a moment and cleared his throat to get the men's attention.

"Everything alright general?" the medical doctor asked, giving a slight smile.

"Yeah, what did you want?" Enjolras asked, crossing his arms impatiently. Combeferre straightened out his silver glasses as he spoke.

"Well, all the men have arrived on time sir. We should be ready to start training tomorrow morning." Enjolras nodded slightly. "When you're ready sir."

…

Eponine and Grantaire hopped off their horses and tied them down by the barn at the front entrance to the camp. The place was set out in an open field. There were dozens of rows of small yellow tents. The camp was filled with the sound of men cheering and yelling and shouting and fighting. The smell of dirt and filth filled wafted through the air. Eponine blinked her eyes a few times, feeling as though she was going to pass out from the stench. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Grantaire shrugged. "Feel free. No one will notice." He gave a little chuckle as they walked through the camp sight. "Now, remember, guys generally don't give a damn about your personal issues, so just keep that weird girly stuff on the down-low okay?" Eponine rolled her eyes. A group of young men sat outside one of the larger tents, relaxing on the grass and sharing a bottle. Grantaire smirked at them. "What're you lad's drinking?"

A young man with brown hair and a blue vest took a swig, choking slightly as it went down. "It's whisky." He choked out. The man sitting next to the brunette let out an absurdly loud laugh.

"Pontmercy, you're such a girl!" he muttered. "You chaps want a sip?" he asked, holding the bottle to the sky. Grantaire gave a nonchalant shrug and took a seat. Eponine decided to stay standing as she watched Grantaire take a generous gulp of whisky from the man's bottle. "I'm Courfeyrac by the way. The man you just saw spitting his lungs out is Marius Pontmercy. These guys are Jehan, Joly, Feuilly and Bahorel."

"'M Grantaire, you can call me R. This is...Thenardier." Grantaire said, biting his lip. Eponine sighed and gave a half-smile.

"Pleasure to meet you both." Prouvaire said, fiddling with a tiny daisy he'd picked from the ground. Courfeyrac rolled his eyes at the blushing poet and sniggered. "Just a tip, watch out for Bahorel. He'll steal your horse." Bahorel let out a howling laugh and ruffled the poet's hair.

Just at that moment, a loud and rather deafening gong was rung several times, as the inspector called, "Line up men!" All the men scrambled to their feet in a moment of panic. As the other men immerged from their tents, they began to line up into a long and seemingly never ending line of tall, short, fat, thin, young and old men. Eponine was so skinny compared to the others. She was also about two heads shorter than most of them.

The gong was rung once more and a young man with golden hair and sharp blue eyes emerged from one of the main tents. Eponine blinked her eyes at the man. He was young and fit, like a real soldier should be…surely someone was bound to notice. "Men," the inspector said, standing beside Enjolras. "This is Soldier Julien Alexus Enjolras the third, but you may know him as General Enjolras, your captain and leader."

The soldiers stayed silent as the General walked down the line, inspecting the men. "Men," he began as he examined his new recruits, "you have all been recruited to take your place in the army to protect your king and country, and I thank you for your never ending courage. But, I'll have you know, life in the army isn't a walk in the park. There will be danger at every corner. Half of you probably won't survive. I expect everyone to be willing to not just fight for their country, but to die for it." Enjolras came to stand in front of Eponine. She turned bright red and tried to hide her face under her cap. Enjolras raised an eyebrow at the skimpy young 'man'. "…How old are you?" he asked.

"Uh, I-"

"It's not a hard question is it?" Enjolras questioned, his voice strong and kind of intimidating.

"Nineteen." Eponine said, chewing on her bottom lip. Enjolras looked straight at her, as though he didn't believe what she was saying.

"Really? You're a little skinny for your age soldier…let me see your papers." Eponine dug into her old brown bag and pulled out a white letter that was given to their family. Enjolras took it and scanned it with his sharp eyes. "Gavroche Thenardier?"

"That's my brother…I'm taking his place in the army." Eponine said a little awkwardly.

"I see…what's your name soldier?" Eponine's eyes widened. Enjolras stared at her impatiently. "…Well?"

"It's…Marcus Thenardier." Eponine blurted out a little too fast.

"Marcus?" Enjolras stated. Eponine gave a shrug. Grantaire hat to bite his tongue to stop himself from laughing. He took one last look at her and then left it at that, though, he couldn't help but wonder why this boy looked so…different. "Right men," he said, pacing up and down the line. "As of now, your training begins. The inspector and I will be having daily tent inspections. Any items of alcohol or cigarettes will be confiscated." The soldiers made a noise of complaint, including Grantaire. Eponine hit him on the shoulder to shut him up. "You shall report to the field at five AM every morning. Lights out at nine PM. You are not to leave the camp without supervision. You are not to come out of your tents until day-light. You are not to skip on day's work. You must do as I say when I say it. Anyone who breaks these rules, will answer to me."

…

"Hate him already." Grantaire said, rolling his eyes as he unpacked his things and stuffed his clothes under the bed. "I joined the army to get a little freedom and now this guy's taking it away again? Where's the justice?" he muttered as he fell back onto his bed. Eponine smirked at her friend as she removed her cap from her head and tussled her messy hair. Grantaire chuckled. "You think you're going to pull this off, Thenardier?" he asked.

Eponine shrugged. "The General didn't notice."

"Yeah, but he seems like a total nutter." Grantaire smirked. "I mean the other campers. You think they'll ever begin to realise?"

"Probably not…I mean, most of these guys seem to have the IQ of a doorknob." Eponine smirked. "I'll be fine."

Grantaire rolled his eyes again. "Yeah, yeah whatever…just don't expect me to be there for you when this all goes under. I don't care how close we are, you're not dragging me into this."

**Not a very eventful chapter, but it will get better, I promise :)**


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